Patriots bench Cam Newton again, but Bill Belichick sticking with QB

Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was benched throughout a sport for the second time this season Thursday night time. He was changed by Jarrett Stidham with the Patriots trailing the Rams 24-Three and simply over 10 minutes remaining within the fourth quarter.

Newton was unable to maneuver the New England offense in opposition to an elite Los Angeles protection. He accomplished 9 of 16 passes for 119 yards and threw a pick-six within the first half that gave the Rams a 17-Zero lead. He additionally was sacked 4 instances. He rushed seven instances for 16 yards.

PATS-RAMS: Scoring updates, highlights from Thursday night game

“We knew precisely what they had been going to do,” Newton instructed reporters postgame. “We have simply received to be higher and it begins with me personally. Simply must make extra performs. That is what it comes all the way down to.”

Patriots coach Invoice Belichick minimize off any discuss a quarterback change for New England’s Week 15 on the Dolphins.

“Cam’s our quarterback,” stated Belichick, who refused to reply a follow-up query about why Newton is a greater choice over Stidham. 

Stidham, a second-year professional out of Auburn, virtually led the Pats to factors on his first drive however his cross on fourth down from the LA 16 was damaged up. He completed 5-for-7 passing for 27 yards and two sacks. He did not even get to throw the ball on New England’s ultimate drive within the final two minutes. The Patriots ran it on 4 consecutive performs earlier than turning the ball over on downs once more.

Belichick additionally yanked Newton from a Week 7 blowout loss to the 49ers. The veteran responded nicely to that occasion: Within the weeks after that benching and earlier than Thursday’s clunker, Newton led the Pats to a Four-2 report to get the staff to .500 (6-6). He accomplished 66.2 % of his passes and averaged 7.Zero yards per try, though he threw simply three touchdowns to 2 interceptions. He additionally rushed 56 instances for 191 yards and 6 scores.

The headline of this story was up to date to replicate Invoice Belichick’s postgame feedback.